It was already past eight in the evening, yet Ariana was still sitting in front of her computer
The cold glow of the monitor illuminated the dark room as line after line of text piled up before her tired eyes. Reports. Always reports. She had to submit them to her supervisor before the deadline—a deadline that never seemed
Eight p.m. might not have felt late to most people, but Ariana had been awake since five in the morning. In fact, she had barely slept the night before. Her body felt heavy, her thoughts foggy, and every word she typed
Whenever she submitted a finished report, the response was always the sam
Not good enough.
Ariana was certain something was wrong. Not with her work—but with him. The excessive pressure, the constant nitpicking, the feeling of never being enough… it crushed her day after day, without giving her even a moment to breathe.
"AAAAA"
Her fists slammed down onto the desk—once, twice, again and again. The physical pain barely registered. Tears began to fall before she even noticed them. Her vision darkened, her ears rang, and the world seemed to spin slowly around her.
"I… I think I need to sleep…" she murmured weakly.
The next moment, her head dropped onto the desk with a dull thud.
Ariana never woke up.
Days later, two police cars and an ambulance were parked on the street where she lived. Ariana's body was only discovered because her supervisor, irritated by her lack of response, decided to check on her personally.
The cause of death was simple.
Cruel.
Far too common.
Extreme exhaustion.
Ariana worked herself to death.
When she opened her eyes again, there was nothing.
No light. No sound. No ground beneath her feet.
Only an infinite void, similar to outer space—but without stars, without direction, without end.
At the center of that nothingness, the body of a young woman floated. Long green hair drifted gently, as if submerged in invisible water. Her skin was pale, and a simple white dress wrapped around her motionless form.
Slowly, Ariana awakened.
"W-where… am I…?" her weak voice echoed, as if it could vanish into the void.
For a moment, she thought she had gone blind. All she could see was darkness. If not for the sensation of her own body, she would have believed she had ceased to exist entirely.
[Ding.]
[Initializing system.]
A shiver ran through her very soul.
[System activated: World Creation System.]
The words did not come from anywhere around her—they appeared directly inside her mind.
"W-who's there?!" she asked, her heart tightening.
[Entity identified: Ariana.]
[Status: Newly Awakened Goddess.]
"A goddess…?" she whispered, stunned. "Where is my home? What's happening to me?"
[As your soul has reached its limit after multiple existences, you have been selected.]
Ariana turned within the void, with no sense of direction. She pinched her arm. Closed her eyes. Opened them again. Over and over—waiting for everything to disappear.
Nothing changed.
"So… this isn't a dream…" she murmured softly.
She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself.
"Alright, System," she said, still trembling, but resolute. "What am I supposed to do?"
[Proposal presented.]
[Create a prosperous world.]
[This world will become your core.]
[Your heart.]
Silence stretched on for several seconds.
"I accept."
The moment the words left her lips, a blinding light erupted around her body, tearing through the endless darkness.
[Contract established.]
[Good luck, my host.]
Countless screens appeared before Ariana's eyes, overlapping one another until only a single one remained.
[Goddess Ariana — Newly Awakened]
[Worlds: 0]
Her heart had just been born.